Read More

Assistant principal Mark Challacombe, who used to be an apprentice plumber at the college said: “This is undoubtedly a highlight of the year for other staff and me at the college. I’ve worked here now for 15 years, and this never tires. Doing this kind of event and hearing the staff or the winners talk tonight never becomes tiring. What’s even more rewarding is meeting people again five, ten 15 years later and seeing what they are now doing and that could be that same line or a different line, but it is still amazing to hear.

“I still get people now drive past in their plumbing van and offer me a job. I was a plumbing apprentice, and I had taught plumbing for the past 15 years, and it’s really nice seeing people who I taught stop me and say ‘Mark, if you want a job mate, just give me a shout’. It’s great to see how well they have done.

“I have had parents stop me at to tell me they cannot believe the difference in their son or daughter and that happens quite often in further education – it is a life changer. No matter what age, we’ll have people here win awards which could be 16/17 right up to 80 as further education is there to change people’s lives, and it does. We see it all of the time, and that’s why for the staff and me it is so rewarding as we get to see so much of it.

Read More

Mr Challacombe explained how he once one an award when he was at the college.

“In 1998 I won an award at the college which was 20 years ago, which is quite frightening,” he said.

“It was a great evening back then so to win something which I still remind my colleagues of now to this day, it’s still something I’m proud of, I still have the newspaper clipping which I’ve still kept, and it’s a great thing to have.

Principal and CEO Diane Dimond added: “I’m delighted to be here this evening. It’s one of the highlights of my year. It’s so rewarding for all of us to celebrate their education and training journey and their brilliant achievements.

“It’s an opportunity to recognise the exceptional achievements of our students accumulated over the time at Petroc and wish them well in their career in higher education studies.”